


Break In

by kksunflowerbaby



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: 14 Day OTP Challenge, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson Fluff, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson-centric, BAMF Annabeth Chase, F/M, Flirting, OTP Feels, Percy Being an Idiot, Percy is a Dork, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 16:26:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15889728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kksunflowerbaby/pseuds/kksunflowerbaby
Summary: I'm tired of meet-cutes. Meet uglies, such as this prompt, are appealing.Prompt from Pinterest: “You broke into my apartment drunk thinking it was your friend’s house and I should call the cops but my cat kinda likes you so we’re good”I love Annabeth and Percy and just had to write this!





	Break In

Annabeth switched off her bedside lamp as she turned on her laptop. She had just started a series on Netflix called “How to Get Away with Murder” and found it easier to focus on the show with no other lights or noises. It was late, almost one am, so she completely expected to watch this episode and then fall asleep. 

She had had a long day at work, focusing on what her kids needed (she was an elementary school teacher). She was annoyed because one of the other teachers, Clarisse, wanted the kids to do more running laps around the yard instead of focusing on science. 

As Professor Keating started lecturing on the show, she let herself relax and began to feel how heavy her eyes were. The music of the show swelled and she let her eyes close completely.

A loud bang rang out and Annabeth’s eyes flew open. She looked at her laptop immediately, but there was nothing happening. Her computer must have died. But that didn’t explain what the loud noise was that woke her. 

Annabeth sat up slowly, looking around her bedroom slowly. There wasn’t any movement, which calmed her slightly. Just as she began to lower herself back down, another bang sounded. A muffled voice murmuring somewhere in her apartment made Annabeth clap a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp.

Adrenaline overcame her body as she silently climbed out of bed and grabbed the baseball bat from under her bed. She had played on the softball team at her college, so she knew how to swing it. She crept towards her bedroom door, wincing slightly when the hardwood floor creaked under her weight. 

Another loud noise came from the living room, and Annabeth knew she had to take action before anything else could happen. She took a deep breath and flung open the door. Her heart was ramming in her chest, her blood pumping so hard that all she could hear for a moment was the rush of her heartbeat in her ears. 

She reached out and turned on the light in the hall, illuminating her small apartment. She had thought she was going to be safe from break-ins by being on the second floor of the complex, but the intruder proved her wrong. 

With a small screech, she ran out into her living room, ready to beat the living hell out of whoever came into her home. She stopped short when she took in the sight in front of her. 

Her cat, a fierce tabby she had rescued off the streets who didn’t like anyone but her, was curled up, purring loudly, on the lap of the guy who had broken in. 

“Hey, little k-kitty,” he was murmuring to Athena. 

Annabeth had named her that because of how she outsmarted some stray dogs the day that Annabeth had found her. The dogs had been chasing her, but Athena had slipped through a small hole in a fence and right into Annabeth. 

Since that day a few years back, Athena only trusted Annabeth. When she tried to introduce her to her friends, Athena would hiss and hide until her friends left. 

But, contrary to her behavior for the past three years, Athena was purring contently as the stranger pet her head. For just a moment, the only thought in Annabeth’s head was, “traitor.”

She focused on the guy sitting in the middle of her living room. His dark hair was a bit damp, falling in short spikes across his forehead. His orange t-shirt was damp too, as were his jeans. He looked as if he had just been doused before breaking in. 

“Who the hell are you and why are you petting my cat!?” Annabeth finally found her words and screamed them at the intruder. 

Slowly, the man looked up from Athena and looked at Annabeth. One of the corners of his mouth twitched and became the most attractive smile Annabeth had ever seen. 

“You’re not Grover,” he said. 

Annabeth nearly dropped her bat. “Grover? Grover Underwood? The guy who lives TWO doors down from me?!” 

“Please don’t shout,” the guy said, lifting his hands from Athena to cover his ears. “My head hurts enough.”

“Your head hurts? Oh, I’m sorry!” Annabeth frowned, wanting to lift the bat again and swing as hard as she could. She rolled her eyes and then realized what the bang had been earlier. The guy had broken the window in her living room to get in. “My bank account is going to hurt when I have to fix that damage!”

The guy looked over his shoulder and made a strange noise. “Shit, did I do that?” 

At that, Annabeth really did drop the bat. The noise startled Athena, who yowled and burrowed deeper into the intruder’s lap.

“Oh, kitty, did the mean lady scare you?” He cooed to the cat, and Annabeth’s eyebrows hit her hairline. 

“Were you trying to break into Grover’s apartment?” Annabeth thought back to what he said earlier. “Did you break into mine by mistake?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what happened!” The guy almost fell over with the amount of enthusiasm that accompanied his statement. 

Realizing she wasn’t in any real danger, Annabeth let herself relax ever since waking up. She looked closer at the window. Only one pane was shattered, so the damage wasn’t as bad as she originally thought it had been. 

Her coffee table was askew, which would make sense if the second bang she had heard was the intruder bumping into it when he first came into the living room. 

“Do you have any water?” 

Annabeth looked away from her living room and back to the stranger. He had a pleading expression on his face, complete with his bottom lip sticking out ever so slightly. He had fuller lips that she had originally thought, and she liked them. 

“Water?” 

“Yeah, I’m really thirsty,” he slurred his words. 

Annabeth kept an eye on him as she grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and then handed it to him. He took three or four huge gulps before exhaling gratefully. 

“Thank you…” he said, tilting his head a bit to the side. 

“Annabeth,” she supplied. 

The intruder hesitated before smiling. “Annabeth,” he said slowly. 

Annabeth had never liked hearing her name from someone so much before. 

“And what’s your name, then?” Annabeth inquired. 

“Percy!” He chirped before taking another gulp of water. 

“And you must be one of Grover’s friends,” she said. “Which would explain why you’re in my living room with my cat at 2:03 am.”

“I really like your cat,” Percy said, stroking Athena once more. “She’s so nice!”

“She doesn’t usually act like that,” she said slowly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “She hates everyone but me.”

“What’s her name?” 

“Athena,” Annabeth answered. “I rescued her off the streets and she escaped some dogs in a smart way, so it seemed to fit.”

“No way, my dog’s name is Poseidon!” 

“Really?” Annabeth found herself matching Percy’s enthusiasm.

“No, I’m messing with you,” Percy chuckled so hard he almost fell over. 

Annabeth frowned, feeling foolish. “I’m going to call the cops.”

“Oh, gods, don’t do that!” Percy said, adjusting Athena in his arms. “I’m so sorry, I was just messing with you. Please don’t call the cops.”

“I’m messing with you!” Annabeth smirked, using his previous words against him. 

For a slow moment, Percy’s apologetic expression doesn’t change. But as his drunk mind worked out what she had said, he began to laugh. His cheeks were already rosy from his stupor, but they became redder as he laughed. 

“You’re funny, Annabeth!” 

Annabeth found herself smiling at the intruder. Even when he was blind-drunk, he was gentle with Athena and was carefully petting her. 

After a beat of silence, Annabeth spoke. “Do you want me to knock on Grover’s door and see if he’s home?” 

Percy made another strange noise and looked up from Athena. “Actually, that’s why I broke in to his—I guess your—apartment. He’s out of town for a rainforest conservation conference, and I needed to crash at his place but forget the key.”

“And your first thought was to break into his apartment?” Annabeth asked skeptically.

“No,” Percy answered after a moment. “It seemed more fun than calling the landlord.” 

“Please tell me you’re kidding,” Annabeth deadpanned. 

“If I tell you I’m kidding can I sleep here?” Percy asked. “I would never ask, since I broke your window and everything, but I need a place to stay. I’m starting my new job tomorrow at the school and need to sleep.”

“You got blind-drunk the night before your first day?” she raised an eyebrow. 

“It was an accident.” 

“You make a lot of interesting decisions,” Annabeth concluded. “But yeah, you can spend the night on the couch as long as you’re gone in the morning.”

“You bet!” Percy immediately stopped petting Athena and set her gently on the ground and finished his water. 

“You can use that blanket and pillow. If you feel sick, the bathroom is down the right. Please don’t steal anything,” Annabeth told him, praying she wasn’t making the wrong choice. 

It was almost two thirty now, and she was tired. She needed to get back to bed so she was rested for school. When she got back to her room, she locked the room out of precaution. She trusted him, but only to an extent. 

 

The next morning, she woke around six so she could get ready for the school day. She came out of her room to see Percy was gone. A handwritten note was left on the table. 

 

“Annabeth, I’m sorry I broke into your home last night. I’ll pay to repair all of the damage and I hope I get to see you and Athena again soon. Thank you for your kindness, Percy.”

 

His phone number was at the bottom of the note, probably for contact when Annabeth figured out how much he would have to pay for the damage. 

Smiling to herself, Annabeth busied herself with getting ready for the day. When she got to school, she was walking to her classroom when she heard someone call her name. 

“Annabeth!” 

She turned and saw a sober, handsome Percy walking towards her. He was wearing black slacks and a white shirt with a thin tie. 

“Percy,” she greeted, so surprised she had to blink a few times to really make sure he was in front of her. “I didn’t know this was the school you were going to work at!”

“I’m glad it is,” he answered, smiling at her. “It looks like we’re going to be neighbors, my class is right next to yours.”

Annabeth smiled, looking forward to the rest of the year. 

Epilogue

They flirted for three months before Percy asked Annabeth out. She said yes, and they dated for three years before he proposed. He made sure to use the class gerbil he had named Poseidon. Annabeth didn’t think it as funny as he did, but she still loved him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
